-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rory McIlroy is off to a good start at the Scottish Open . He 's hoping for a good finish , too , after missing the cut at the Irish Open .

McIlroy shot a course record 7-under-par 64 at Royal Aberdeen on Thursday , and he was actually the second player to better the old mark -- Sweden 's Kristoffer Broberg had earlier fired a 65 .

McIlroy carded eight birdies and one bogey in windy , chilly conditions .

`` Going out this morning in these conditions I thought anything in the 60s would be a good score , so to shoot something better than that is pleasing , '' McIlroy was quoted as saying by the European Tour 's website .

A win Sunday would be the perfect way for former No. 1 McIlroy to prepare for the British Open , which starts next week at Royal Liverpool . He won the last of his two majors in 2012 .

`` Everything was pretty much on , '' McIlroy said . `` I controlled my ball flight really well , which is the key to me playing well in these conditions and on these courses .

`` I 've been working the last 10 days on keeping the ball down , hitting easy shots and taking spin off it , and I went out there today and really trusted what I practiced . ''

Last year Phil Mickelson used the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart as the springboard to his British Open title and his 68 leaves him well within touching distance of McIlroy .

Mickelson needs a jolt of confidence given that ` Lefty ' has slipped outside the top 10 in the rankings and has n't finished in the top 10 on the PGA Tour this season .

`` I thought it was tough conditions , '' Mickelson said in an audio interview posted on the European Tour 's website . `` I was surprised to see some low scores out there because it did n't seem like it was playing easy , and the wind was pretty strong .

`` I felt like I played well and had a good putting day . It was a good day . ''

Last year 's U.S. Open champion , Justin Rose , was tied for 13th with a 69 but Jonas Blixt -- who tied for second at the Masters -- was well adrift following a 74 .

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Rory McIlroy shoots a course record at the Scottish Open with a 64

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The Northern Irishman tallies eight birdies and one bogey at Royal Aberdeen

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Sweden 's Kristoffer Broberg had earlier set the course record on Thursday

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Defending champion Phil Mickelson is in contention after registering a 68